After over two decades in Hindi and Gujarati cinema, Manasi Parekh, co-producer of the recently released Gujarati comedy-drama Mitrata, believes regional cinema can now create its own stars instead of relying on established names.
“There are only a handful of select stars. Teen chaar male stars hain, jisko har second film mein cast kiya jaata hai. So, we want to change that, and we want to bring new talent,” she tells us. Parekh believes regional cinema has the advantage of being able to experiment with content while working with smaller budgets. “Regional cinema wins on two levels. We always experiment with our content. So, we are not corrupt. The actor-producer believes that new talent and stories are essential for keeping Gujarati cinema fresh. She adds, “Our attempt, Parthiv and mine, is very clear, we want Gujarati to be cool. Manasi and Parthiv also aim to take Gujarati cinema beyond its traditional audience.
Recalling Viraj Ghelani’s casting in *Jhamkudi* (2024), which she co-produced with husband Parthiv Gohil, she says, “When we cast Viraj in our first film, *Jhamkudi*, we wanted his audience, which is a young audience, to come and watch Gujarati films. Because we have extravagant budgets, we have not been corrupt.
We know how to make films in small budget,” she explains, adding, “Because humare resources limited hota hai. “Only when you have new talent will you have more content and freshness also,” she says, adding that newer faces could also help Gujarati cinema connect with a younger audience. “Our intent was to make Gujarati cinema global,” she says, recalling their presence at the Cannes Film Festival this year, where they announced three international projects. She adds, “We started an international distribution wing where we distributed *Lalo* in 41 countries across the world.”
For Parekh, the push for newer talent does not mean compromising on the quality of the work. “Pehle se I’ve always seen what is the story. Who is the director? And what is my role? A small role which is well written will have more impact than a lead role which is not well written.”
She says she has always looked at the story and role rather than simply the size of a part.
